What's the chances of my phone working again!? Dropped Galaxy S4 down the loo!

I'm so annoyed at myself, was rushing this morning an it flew out my hand down the loo. It had an otter box case on but the water has gone in through the home button. I Put it straight in to a bowl rice but I did try an turn it on first which I shouldn't of I have now found out.

Just leave it in for a few days, I've heard stories of people being lucky. For your sake I hope you are too

11th Sep 2013

Happened to my iphone 4 too. Rice didn't work nor hair dryer. Took back to apple Genius Bar and they replaced for £119 may be more for 4s. :-(

11th Sep 2013

Do not try and power up. Strip the phone and wash in distilled water then ISOPROPANOL IPA Isopropyl Alcohol 99.9% Pure. then place in dried rice for a couple of days. Should work done a couple amazon.co.uk/ISO…FQOamazon.co.uk/Top…ter

11th Sep 2013

My LG has survied two dunks in my bath. Removed the battery dried it off and left in a warm place to dry out and it and it comes back to life. Give it a try it might work for you.

Getting your phone wet is extremely common. Perhaps it's happened to you. C'mon, admit it...we use our phones everywhere. At the beach, by the pool, in the bathroom... It's bound to happen. When it does we scramble to our old friend, the internet, to figure out what to do. What does it tell us to do? "To fix a wet phone, put it in a bowl or bag of rice."

We've seen this little bit of advice on the web. We've heard it from salespeople and customer service representatives. It's even been published in books...

Like many myths and urban legends there is a component of the tale that always sounds logical or reasonable. After all, rice absorbs many times its weight in water when we cook it, so it would seem reasonable that it would be able to absorb water from your phone, wouldn't it? However, once again myth lets us down. The technique of using rice is not only ineffective, but can actually cause additional damage to your phone or other electronic device.

How? Let us find out.

Effectiveness:Rice has little effect as a desiccant (moisture absorber). It will absorb many times its weight in water, but only while in direct contact. It will not effectively "draw" moisture out of the air or out of your phone.

Additional causes of damage:1. Rice often gets lodged into charge ports, headset plugs, keyboards, and data connectors, potentially breaking these vital components.2. Liquid isn't the only thing that causes damage when your phone gets wet. It is also the minerals and trace element present in the liquid (such as salt, calcium, sugar, acids, soaps, etc...) that cause damage and corrosion. Corrosion will spread even without liquid present. Desiccants may absorb water but they will not remove any of these deposits that are left behind. Even if rice had desiccant properties it would only address a fraction of the problem. 3. Most rice is "enriched" with...wait for it...Vitamins and minerals... which can leech into the liquid you're trying to absorb, only adding to the overall problem.4. Creepy-crawlies. Grain mites and weevils are common pests that love rice, grain, and flower. Do you really want them infesting your phone too? 'Nuff said!

So, what can you do if your phone has gotten wet?

1. Remove the battery. Do not attempt to charge the device or plug it in. This may cause a short circuit and permanent damage.2. Remove any face plates, cases, or covers to help the phone air dry. We do NOT recommend using a hair dryer or compressed air to speed drying. These will often push liquid deeper into the phone and spread the damage.

Edited by: "mattmerch" 11th Sep 2013

11th Sep 2013

Several months ago I dropped my blackberry into a sink of hot soapy dishwasher, I removed the back and battery and let the water drop out the holes on the device then dried with tissue, Next I opened a bag of long grain rice and placed the phone in upright and completely covered it. Left it for a day, took a peek to see if there was any condensation on the screen (there wasn't) so I placed back in the rice. Repeated the process for 7 days then reassembled the device and plugged in the charger. It worked perfectly, have had no problems since. Its worth a try and if you do it be sure to be patient and don't switch your mobile on before the 7 days has passed.Good luck x

Original Poster

11th Sep 2013

I've ordered one of the rescue tech pouches that are apparently much more effective than rice. Fingers crossed it works.

Banned

11th Sep 2013

I dropped my phone in a mop bucket full of bleach. I took it out washed it with water, dried it off then removed the back cover, battery and sim card. It worked perfectly for another year then the screen went all multi coloured.

11th Sep 2013

surfbabe10

I've ordered one of the rescue tech pouches that are apparently much more … I've ordered one of the rescue tech pouches that are apparently much more effective than rice. Fingers crossed it works.

Seems like you could do with a little hope here the s4 is tougher then it looks

11th Sep 2013

mattmerch

Drying your phone in rice: Myth The myth of drying your phone in rice. … Drying your phone in rice: Myth The myth of drying your phone in rice. Getting your phone wet is extremely common. Perhaps it's happened to you. C'mon, admit it...we use our phones everywhere. At the beach, by the pool, in the bathroom... It's bound to happen. When it does we scramble to our old friend, the internet, to figure out what to do. What does it tell us to do? "To fix a wet phone, put it in a bowl or bag of rice." We've seen this little bit of advice on the web. We've heard it from salespeople and customer service representatives. It's even been published in books...Like many myths and urban legends there is a component of the tale that always sounds logical or reasonable. After all, rice absorbs many times its weight in water when we cook it, so it would seem reasonable that it would be able to absorb water from your phone, wouldn't it? However, once again myth lets us down. The technique of using rice is not only ineffective, but can actually cause additional damage to your phone or other electronic device. How? Let us find out.Effectiveness:Rice has little effect as a desiccant (moisture absorber). It will absorb many times its weight in water, but only while in direct contact. It will not effectively "draw" moisture out of the air or out of your phone.Additional causes of damage:1. Rice often gets lodged into charge ports, headset plugs, keyboards, and data connectors, potentially breaking these vital components.2. Liquid isn't the only thing that causes damage when your phone gets wet. It is also the minerals and trace element present in the liquid (such as salt, calcium, sugar, acids, soaps, etc...) that cause damage and corrosion. Corrosion will spread even without liquid present. Desiccants may absorb water but they will not remove any of these deposits that are left behind. Even if rice had desiccant properties it would only address a fraction of the problem. 3. Most rice is "enriched" with...wait for it...Vitamins and minerals... which can leech into the liquid you're trying to absorb, only adding to the overall problem.4. Creepy-crawlies. Grain mites and weevils are common pests that love rice, grain, and flower. Do you really want them infesting your phone too? 'Nuff said!So, what can you do if your phone has gotten wet?1. Remove the battery. Do not attempt to charge the device or plug it in. This may cause a short circuit and permanent damage.2. Remove any face plates, cases, or covers to help the phone air dry. We do NOT recommend using a hair dryer or compressed air to speed drying. These will often push liquid deeper into the phone and spread the damage.

Hey, while copying that, you forgot number 3 on the "Device Medics" page.

3. Contact us for repair as soon as possible. Rust and corrosion will … 3. Contact us for repair as soon as possible. Rust and corrosion will continue to spread even when dry. The sooner a device is professionally treated, the better the chance of a successful repair.

11th Sep 2013

a colleague says he saved his by putting it in the fridge....apparently the fridge will draw moisture out...anybody else tried this?

maybe worth a go if nothing else works?!

11th Sep 2013

try and get hold of those silica jell patches you find in new shoes, they suck moisture like a M%%$£%

pop a couple of those in a bag and seal it then leave it overnight with the phone's back removed with no battery

11th Sep 2013

you may say its an urban legend/myth

but on my advice of removing battery and placing in container full of rice overnight it has saved my husband and my friends phone and it also worked for my friends iphone (which you cant remove battery from)..........

look it up online - so many people cant be wrong and i don't see how it can hurt you to try?!

11th Sep 2013

Dropped my phone in the pool a few months ago and my phone still works. This is what I did:1.Took out the back cover and the battery2. Left it inside the rice box for a few days. 3 days to be exact.

Btw, Do not attempt to turn it on for, no matter how tempting, otherwise the circuits might get fried

11th Sep 2013

Put my daughters cheapo huawei in the washing machine and tumble dryer without realising it came out working perfectly.

11th Sep 2013

Eww! I hope the toilet was clean. I can't offer any advice but it is a common problem, you are not alone.

11th Sep 2013

Take it to a phone a shop get it opened and properly dried.

The phones water damaged anyway so warranty is invalid anyway.

A decent phone shop also. See if they have that vibrating machine that they open the phone up and then place it on.

12th Sep 2013

Water damage is less common with phones especially due to the printed circuit boards.